Ballon d'Or winner Rodri weighs in on the GOAT debate as he explains the difference between facing Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo

The Euro 2024 winner beat Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. to secure the honour at a prestigious ceremony held in Paris in October, becoming the first Premier League player to win the Golden Ball since Ronaldo did so in 2008 during his time at Manchester United. This year's ceremony was notably historic as it was the first since 2003 that neither Messi nor the Portuguese featured on the final 30-man shortlist. The two legends have shared an incredible rivalry over the past two decades, with Ronaldo winning five titles and Messi eight - a record in itself.

Rodri shared his experiences from his La Liga days at Villarreal and Atletico Madrid when he had the responsibility to contain both Ronaldo and Messi as they terrorised defences for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Speaking candidly in an interview with El Hormiguero, the Spanish midfielder stated: "Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time, without any doubt. Cristiano has managed to match Messi without innate talent. But those of us who have played against them can see the difference. We didn’t want Cristiano to step into the box because he was lethal there. But with Messi, the danger was everywhere on the pitch."

He added: "When Messi got the ball, you’d think: 'Oh, danger'. When I first started playing against him, I tried to take the ball from him, and he dodged you as if you were a bull in the ring. The feeling I had was that something bad was about to happen."

Interestingly, back in August, when GOAL asked Rodri who was the greatest of all time, he snubbed both Messi and Ronaldo and instead chose Kevin De Bruyne.

Rodri’s incredible Ballon d'Or achievement will be celebrated in grand fashion at the Etihad Stadium ahead of Manchester City’s upcoming match against Tottenham on Saturday. The midfielder is set to receive a special ovation from fans as he returns to Manchester after spending months recovering in Spain following surgery on his ACL injury. His absence has been keenly felt by Pep Guardiola’s side, who have endured a challenging period with four consecutive defeats in his absence.